Abstract
The precision by which animal diseases are diagnosed affects our ability to make informed decisions with regards to animal health management, from a clinical and economic perspective. Lameness is a major health condition in dairy cattle. The underlying causes of lameness include bovine digital dermatitis (BDD), which is reported as one of the main causes of infectious lameness in dairy cattle. Presently, the gold standard for BDD diagnosis in dairy cattle is visual inspection of lifted hooves—a labour intensive and subjective method. Research has suggested that Treponema spp. are the main pathogens associated with the establishment of BDD. We explored the potential of indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a diagnostic serological tool in the identification of cows at different stages of BDD. Additionally, we evaluated the predictive power of this diagnostic tool on the future occurrence of BDD lesions. A total of 232 cows from three farms were used in the study. Serum samples and hoof health data were collected at three time points: ~ 30 days pre-calving, around calving, and approximately 30 days post-calving. The mean absorbance from the ELISA test was compared across different clinical presentations of BDD as assessed by visual inspection of the hooves according to the M-stage classification system. A transition model was developed to estimate the probability of lesion occurrence in time t + 1 based on the spectrophotometer (absorbance) reading in time t. The mean absorbance reading for both IgG1 and IgG2 anti-Treponema antibodies was associated with disease presence—apart from M4.1 lesions, animals with no lesions had a lower mean when compared to animals with lesions regardless of the score. Additionally, the mean absorbance reading of animals with active lesions was higher when compared to animals with no lesions. However, the anti-Treponema antibody assays failed to identify disease presence in a consistent manner. Moreover, indirect ELISA readings were not a predictor of the future occurrence of BDD lesions. In conclusion, although the levels anti-Treponema antibodies were associated with disease presence, the ELISA test failed to detect disease unequivocally and had no predictive value in the future occurrence of BDD lesions.
Highlights
Lameness is the second most important health condition in dairy cattle in the UK in terms of production losses and the most important welfare issue [1]
Farm 3 had the most animals excluded from the analysis−17 out of 48 (35%), whereas farm 2 was the one with the least number of animals removed from the analysis−12 out of 48 (25%)
This paper explored the usefulness of measuring anti-Treponema antibody titres through indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test in the identification of cows at different stages of bovine digital dermatitis (BDD), and prediction power of this diagnostic tool in the future occurrence of disease
Summary
Lameness is the second most important health condition in dairy cattle in the UK in terms of production losses and the most important welfare issue [1]. Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is a leading cause of infectious lameness in British dairy cattle, causing ulcerative skin lesions, with significant impact on animal production and welfare. The impact of BDD is associated with the stage of the disease. Animals chronically affected by digital dermatitis can perpetuate the disease in the herd, acting as pathogen reservoirs and contributing to the establishment of an endemic nature of the ailment, which can result in premature culling of animals and added costs to control and eradicate the disease [3, 4]. Identifying the stage of the disease is important to inform the treatment and control strategy [5] and to allow for the proper estimation of the economic impact of BDD
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
